Avoid Being A Samurai!

You Wouldn't Want to Be ...

by Fiona Macdonald, David Antram (Illustrator)

The humorous cartoon-style illustrations and the narrative approach encourage readers to get emotionally involved with the characters, aiding their understanding of what life would have been like training to be a samurai in 17th century Japan.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Childrens, Japan, Geography, Asia, School

32 pages, Hardcover

Published July 1, 2009

About the author

Fiona Macdonald studied history at Cambridge University and at the University of East Anglia. She has taught in schools, adult education and university, and is the author of numerous books for children on historical topics.

Reviews

[Jasmine Aikey · Rating 5 out of 5]

You wouldn’t want to be a samurai is about what you had to do to become a samurai and all the sacrifices you had to make. To officially become a samurai you would need to train for years and years and try to perfect your technique, which in a war might just save you. Once you become a samurai you will be honored by all the people. This means that if you do something wrong and it is really bad the only way to keep your honor is to commit suicide. If you didn’t have to kill yourself you would go to war.
I gave this book 4 stars because it kept me engaged but near the end i felt that it got pretty dull. But other than that I really liked it now i understand what samurai’s had to deal with and I know I would not want to be a samurai. This book was short but informational, it was easy to read and could really teach you a lot I would recommend this book for people wanting to learn about the subject or anyone interested on the topic.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

An inside look at what it takes to be a samurai, all the training, fighting and expectations.

Why I started this book: I was eager to compare this to You Wouldn't Want to Be a Ninja Warrior!: A Secret Job That's Your Destiny especially since it was pointed out to me that Americans like the ninjas and Japanese like the samurai.

Why I finished it: It comes down to honor, ninjas where lower caste with lower honor. Samurai were high caste with high honor. Otherwise you trained for war and fought the way your fathers fought, in secret or in the open.

[Kwesi Frank]

This is any test book talking about the deadly and ancient art of the Samurai. Samurai's were native to Japan and loyal to their nation above all else. They had to train for months in order to get the necessary fools needed. Samurais often killed in an attempt to protect themselves and the people around them. If a samurai was not loyal then they would be fired from their job and probably killed.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about ancient cultures

[Thomas Andrikus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of the things I learned:

1. Shogun was basically like PM today, though its position was more similar to a military general.
2. Samurais used moving targets (including live dogs) for arrow shooting practice
3. As the last Tokugawa shogun was overthrown in 1867, there was no longer any need for samurai

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

The proud, fierce and powerful warriors: the SAMURAI! The book talks about the armor, the ranks of both military and society, the history, the intense training, including the Japanese names for some of each category, various tall tales and myths told about the Samurai, and even several famous Samurai!
Another fun read.

[Duane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great series of books, and this one focusing on the life and times of Samurais is another great addition. Filled with great illustrations and resourceful information, this is a great book for any young reluctant reader! A must have for any library collection.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one and the ninja book are two of my favorites. All the history is great to read. Once again the clothing and armor are great. It was great to read that they held reading and writing in high regard. And it listed who couldn't be a samurai.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

love this series...the kids enjoy the humorous facts...

[Kelly Carey · Rating 3 out of 5]

The life of a Samurai has been portrayed by movies as a very glamorous life style. This book reveals the real and difficult training that Samurai had to go through.

[Nicola · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read as part of our Japan study. Miss 6 thought it was okay (and then started talking about Mulan and asking why girls were not allowed to fight).

Miss 6 and I like to explore different books and authors at the library, sometimes around particular topics or themes. We try to get different ones out every week or so; it's fun for both of us to have the variety and to look at a mix of new & favourite authors.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kids love ninjas, but wait, this is a Samurai... We read this alongside the Ninja book by the same author. There was a lot for both of us to learn about the lineage of Samurai in ancient Japan. Some information was repetitive between the Samurai and but we also learned the differences between the two types of warriors.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

The boys took great pleasure in talking to the book and saying they wouldn’t want to do whatever the question was. They were very interested in the weapons and castles, and we had a good discussion about how the Japanese shogun/samurai system compares to what they’ve learned so far about European feudalism. Educational fun.

[Janie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is really fun. I'm hoping to read some more with my kids.

[Laura The Book Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love all the "You Wouldn't Want to Be..." books

[Willow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good. Has a very different (more hopefully and less sarcastic) tone that I did not enjoy as much as the others in the series.